battery problems
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Intermediate
Joined: May 2010
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battery problems
Help! 2002 Fat Boy with battery problems.
The electrical system absorbs 50mA with bike off (I have no alarm), it is fair or is too much?
Yours?
After 2 days the battery is low .... is a problem of battery or excessive current demand?
Thanks to all
The electrical system absorbs 50mA with bike off (I have no alarm), it is fair or is too much?
Yours?
After 2 days the battery is low .... is a problem of battery or excessive current demand?
Thanks to all
Last edited by alekit; Jan 3, 2011 at 05:49 PM.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 38,293
Likes: 6,322
From: Honah Lee
Yes
Yes, I think so. That's about the drain on a small flashlight bulb and not an LED. Unplug your key switch and see if it goes away. Bet the switch is dirty or bad and the load is the ignition and lights but of course not enough to turn them on. I was working on an much older Harley then yours and it had light problems. Finally pulled the rear signal line off and the little plastic disk that the bulb contacts come through was split allowing the wire to go to ground slightly.
Last edited by Jackie Paper; Jan 3, 2011 at 05:59 PM.
Unofficial HDF Chaplain
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 21,128
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From: san diego
do you have a radio? any other electrical consumers, not stock? 50ma is high even for a car battery(Old car, kept them around 25-30ma, new ones can go to 60-70ma but weak batteries show up with that high a draw)you will want around 15-20ma. hook up ammeter between batt neg and ground, start disconnecting fuses, one at a time until draw drops down, give each fuse pull a minute or so for any consumers to go to sleep, that old a bike shouldn't have any sleep time though, after finding the circuit, see what is on that fuse and unplug each one one at a time until draw drops down, if no drop after pulling fuses, you will need to go to circuits fed directly from battery, one at a time. A 50ma draw on a bike batt. will kill it in 2-3 days tops. either find it or get a batt. tender. I recommend fixing, and a tender
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 38,293
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From: Honah Lee
draw
I am not an expert and I only know my 04. However I am going from my electrical diagnostic manual. If it had an alarm or no alarm the TSM/TSSM (signal/alarm) you will see about 16-25 mA for 30 seconds after key is off. Then you should not see any draw. If you unplug the wide wide key switch plug you also should not see any and if you do the terminal post on the battery could be dirty. Also if you still have draw with this unplugged there is other things you will need to unplug till you find it. I do not believe I could convey since I would check the simple and then study each circuit in my book breaking them one at a time till I found it. With key on the draw of the speeometer, efi computer, tsm/tssm and voltage regulator is only 5.5 mA
Road Warrior
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 1,664
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From: P.E.I. Canada
Ok, I don't know that much about the electrical on bikes, but I do know a lot about electricity... You either have a ignition switch that isn't fully going off like mentioned above, or you have a live wire going to ground. Try pulling fuses one at a time to see what circuit is causing your problem, the trace it out from there. Hope that helps.
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2010
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From: TEXAS
This is more of a tip than solving your poblem, but also make sure your kick stand is not in direct contact with the concrete (especially in the winter). That has a tendency to drain batteries.
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Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Feb 2010
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From: Southern California
Anything over 35 mA (0.035 Amperes) is too much of a parasitic draw.
1.) With the Ignition "Off" pull each fuse one at a time until the parasitic drain drops to zero.
2.) The fuse with the excessive draw (draw goes to zero or almost zero, see my notes below regarding clocks, gauges, radios, and computers, etc., when it is pulled) is the circuit with the problem.
3.) See the wiring diagram to determine which circuits are on that fuse.
4.) Now disconnect each item on that fused circuit one at a time to figure out which item is the source of your problem.
If all the fuses are pulled and there is still a parasitic draw you have a shorted diode in the voltage regulator.
Notes:
1.) Even after you find the fuse or the voltage regulator that is causing the draw; put all of the other fuses back in just to be sure you don't have that 1 in a 1,000,000 problems with more than one parasitic draw problem.
2.) It is normal for gauges, clocks, radios,and computers to each draw a few mA. As long as the total for all of these items does not go over 35 mA (usually less than 10 mA) it's OK.
1.) With the Ignition "Off" pull each fuse one at a time until the parasitic drain drops to zero.
2.) The fuse with the excessive draw (draw goes to zero or almost zero, see my notes below regarding clocks, gauges, radios, and computers, etc., when it is pulled) is the circuit with the problem.
3.) See the wiring diagram to determine which circuits are on that fuse.
4.) Now disconnect each item on that fused circuit one at a time to figure out which item is the source of your problem.
If all the fuses are pulled and there is still a parasitic draw you have a shorted diode in the voltage regulator.
Notes:
1.) Even after you find the fuse or the voltage regulator that is causing the draw; put all of the other fuses back in just to be sure you don't have that 1 in a 1,000,000 problems with more than one parasitic draw problem.
2.) It is normal for gauges, clocks, radios,and computers to each draw a few mA. As long as the total for all of these items does not go over 35 mA (usually less than 10 mA) it's OK.
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Thread Starter
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Intermediate
Joined: May 2010
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Anything over 35 mA (0.035 Amperes) is too much of a parasitic draw.
1.) With the Ignition "Off" pull each fuse one at a time until the parasitic drain drops to zero.
2.) The fuse with the excessive draw (draw goes to zero or almost zero, see my notes below regarding clocks, gauges, radios, and computers, etc., when it is pulled) is the circuit with the problem.
3.) See the wiring diagram to determine which circuits are on that fuse.
4.) Now disconnect each item on that fused circuit one at a time to figure out which item is the source of your problem.
If all the fuses are pulled and there is still a parasitic draw you have a shorted diode in the voltage regulator.
Notes:
1.) Even after you find the fuse or the voltage regulator that is causing the draw; put all of the other fuses back in just to be sure you don't have that 1 in a 1,000,000 problems with more than one parasitic draw problem.
2.) It is normal for gauges, clocks, radios,and computers to each draw a few mA. As long as the total for all of these items does not go over 35 mA (usually less than 10 mA) it's OK.
1.) With the Ignition "Off" pull each fuse one at a time until the parasitic drain drops to zero.
2.) The fuse with the excessive draw (draw goes to zero or almost zero, see my notes below regarding clocks, gauges, radios, and computers, etc., when it is pulled) is the circuit with the problem.
3.) See the wiring diagram to determine which circuits are on that fuse.
4.) Now disconnect each item on that fused circuit one at a time to figure out which item is the source of your problem.
If all the fuses are pulled and there is still a parasitic draw you have a shorted diode in the voltage regulator.
Notes:
1.) Even after you find the fuse or the voltage regulator that is causing the draw; put all of the other fuses back in just to be sure you don't have that 1 in a 1,000,000 problems with more than one parasitic draw problem.
2.) It is normal for gauges, clocks, radios,and computers to each draw a few mA. As long as the total for all of these items does not go over 35 mA (usually less than 10 mA) it's OK.
I have not radio , alarm ...
All the fuses are pulled and there is still a parasitic draw !
20mA go to the regulator
20mA to the intermittently box.
I put a diode or change the regulator?
